The Princess Royal will play tribute to Merchant Navy sailors who lost their lives serving on Royal Navy ships during World War II.

Princess Anne, accompanied by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, who is Commissioner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), will lay a wreath at the Liverpool Naval Memorial on Sunday morning.

The short ceremony will take place at the Pier Head memorial ahead of a private Battle of the Atlantic commemorative service at Liverpool Cathedral.

At the outbreak of World War II, the Royal Navy recognised that it would not be able to man all the auxiliary vessels that would serve with it and enlisted thousands of officers and men of the Merchant Navy to serve with the Royal Navy under special terms.

Chris McLean, CWGC area director for the UK and who will be in the city for this weekend’s events, said: “The Liverpool Naval Memorial is at the centre of a series of commemorations during the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.

“Around 1,400 officers and men of the Merchant Navy died on active service aboard 120 naval ships and are commemorated by the Commission in Liverpool.”